Veterinary Homeopathy in the UK

The RCVS statement

On the 3rd of November 2017 the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) issued a statement that effectively has stopped many successful homeopathic vets (yes vets who went on to train in complementary therapies in addition) practicing. The statement insists that drug treatments must be carried out first.

The RCVS say they haven’t banned complementary therapies but anyone who knows how they work realises that using them alongside drugs is not the best option for our animals.

Many pet owners, farmers and others affected are outraged. They, like myself, have seen complementary therapies work very effectively on their own instead of drug treatments.

Where homeopathy is concerned, they say that there is ‘no evidence’ that it works. The RCVS are basically accusing their own vets (who are also homeopaths) of lacking good judgement, or worse! These are fully qualified vets who have gone on to complete further training in areas they wanted to find safer more natural and effective solutions. Often they have many years of experience in practice using homeopathy and other complementary therapies where possible for the sake of the animals.

Millions throughout the world use homeopathy and there is plenty of evidence that it does work. So why is the RCVS refusing to look at this? They did not even consult with their own members who are homeopathic vets prior to issuing the statement.

The ‘pump them full of drugs first’ position this statement recommends now applies to all complementary therapies – acupuncture, chiropractic, etc. and even things such as hydrotherapy and massage will be swept up in the chaos caused by it.

Over-use of drugs is already causing problems for humans and in the environment as a whole when the drugs get excreted and into our land and water supply. What sort of a legacy are we leaving for future generations?

Surely the RCVS ought to be embracing these therapies and getting them into every practice so that drug use and other interventions are minimised for the sake of our animals, the environment and us owners (who can save money too!),

The RCVS’s motivation is questionable in other areas too. Why is it ignoring world veterinary guidelines regarding vaccinations which state that animals do not need more than one of many of the vaccinations. It is common practice for vets to insist on annual vaccinations and ‘catch up amnesties’ (where a pet gets lots of vaccinations in one go). There is plenty of evidence that this can be harmful to our pets – Canine Health Concern has collated a lot of it. A simple titre test can be done to check if a further vaccination is required so why isn’t that standard practice? Some auto-immune diseases and general ill health have been attributed to over-vaccination. Therefore, from my simple perspective, surely the only reason to do this is for financial gain which is disgusting for an organisation supposed to be promoting animal health.

My experience

My animals have benefited greatly from Chiropractic, Hydrotherapy, Homeopathy, Laser Acupuncture and bio-resonance alongside the excellent services provided by my local vet. I just wish I could have a local vet that provided the full range itself. Here are three animals and some examples of how they have benefitted.

Chad

This is Chad who was diagnosed with CDRM at age 6. This is a disease a little like MS in humans where the animal gradually loses the use of its muscles from the tail forwards. I was told he would have around six months to live and tried acupuncture but the acupuncturist could not help.

Then I tried homeopathy, with some canine massage, chiropractic and hydrotherapy.

Homeopathy slowed the development of the CDRM so much that he lived to nearly fifteen and had a good quality of life and remained fairly mobile until he had a brain haemorrhage in March 2008.

Homeopathy also replaced his need for metacam (a NSAID painkiller) which he disliked intensely and would refuse to eat any food with it in.

Now, post statement, it is unlikely I could have got the remedy that helped Chad so much because it came from someone who was not a vet, though very experienced with dog issues. I would probably have had to have him on drugs for this and painkillers, all of which he found unacceptable.

Holly

Holly was a rescue puppy with a lot of nervousness about humans. Around the age of four, after a big shock, she developed pancreatic weakness and was unable to generate her own pancreatic enzymes. Fortunately, these days one can get powdered pancreatic enzymes (Panzyme) so we added those to her food and she was OK.

When she got older she too developed CDRM and we tried various homeopathic remedies for that but it did advance far quicker than Chad’s had.

Homeopathy did get her off painkillers though which was wonderful because the homeopathic vet pointed out she was on strong opiods which were making her seem quite ‘out of this world’ which we had put down to old age. Once off those, she was back and bright as a button again.

She was very keen to keep going out for walks with the other dogs so I had a feeling that dog wheels might be the way to go for her. Sure enough she loved going out in her wheels and used them for 18 months for walks around the village and beyond.

She had chiropractic, laser acupuncture, canine massage, bio-resonance and homeopathy over the years.

One remedy prescribed by a homeopathic vet eliminated the urinary incontinence she developed and this gave her back her dignity (she used to get very distressed about ‘leaking’ and made our lives far easier too. The vet had run out of options so the homeopathic remedy was particularly appreciated.

Now, post RCVS statement, the homeopathic vet would have had to insist we went down the drug route first even though there was this remedy that could have eased her incontinence immediately. How can that be right?

Kiwi

Kiwi is a Golden Retriever we took on aged three. He has benefited from homeopathy all his life for minor ailments. In 2016 he got a suspected cruciate ligament problem and my vet recommended x-rays and surgery. I decided to get a second opinion from a homeopathic vet who suggested we try three sessions of laser acupuncture. After that he referred Kiwi to a surgeon who would operate if necessary. After 20 minutes the surgeon said there was no need for surgery.

Kiwi was racing around chasing balls happily, and still is as I write this. Going down the complementary route for the cruciate ligament problem not only saved him from two lots of general anaesthetic (one for the x-rays which were of doubful benefit given that this is a soft tissue injury) and surgery. It saved us a fortune as well. Everyone wins!

With the RCVS statement it is probable I think that we would have had to have the surgery. How can that be right?

How you can help

Please help the campaign to get this statement turned around and common sense back!